Method and means for anchoring carpet

ABSTRACT

MY PRESENT INVENTION RELATES TO A METHOD AND MEANS FOR ANCHORING CARPET AT ITS MARGINAL EDGES WHERE THERE ARE RELATIVELY SMALL PLAN IRREGULARTIES AT THE JUNCTURE WITH THE FLOOR TO BE CARPETED OF SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL MEMBERS

Feb. 23; 1971 E. '0. BLACKBURN 'mrruon AND MEANS FOR ANCH'ORING CARPET Filed May 16, 1968 FIG-2 Eugene 0. Blackburn INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,564,642 METHOD AND MEANS FOR ANCHORING CARPET Eugene 0. Blackburn, 7013 Sprague Ave. E., Spokane, Wash. 99206 Filed May 16, 1968, Ser. No. 729,599 Int. Cl. A47g 2/04 U.S. Cl. 167 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE My present invention relates to a method and means for anchoring carpet at its marginal edges where there are relatively small plan irregularities at the juncture with the floor to be carpeted of substantially vetrical members.

During carpet laying operations one frequently encounters relatively small plan irregularities at the marginal edges where the carpet requires fastening to maintain a taut and wrinkle free covering. For example, through a doorway in a wall, it is customary to apply tackless carpet strips which are conventionally nailed to the floor parallel and adjacent to the juncture of the walls. These strips normally are provided in lengths of approximately 36" and the carpet-layer secures them by driving nails through the wooden base into the floor at spaced intervals. The strips are easily cut to fit the dimensions required.

When one applies the stripping at areas having relatively small plan irregularities, it is customary to cut the strips into short rectilinear sections and nail them into place. At a door opening, where it is necessary to outline the door casing, frame, doorstop, remainder of the frame, and opposite casing, it requires cutting the strips into lengths adapted to fit. Where the casing, for example, is only an inch or an inch and one quarter in width, measured along the plane of the Wall surface, it becomes necessary to cut an inch or an inch and one quarter of the tackless strip and then when a nail is driven through this relatively small piece, it has a tendency to split and therefore become ineffective as an anchor. One may drill the small segment of strip beforehand so that it will not split, but a single nail merely forms a pivot about which the strip can rotate and it becomes ineffective as an anchor. Furthermore, to drill one or two holes and then drive nails therethrough takes too much time and increases the cost of labor to such a degree as to make it prohibitive. Also, in any small segment of the strip cut indiscriminately, there is apt to be only one carpet anchoring projection. This affords very little holding ability and thus minimizes tensioning of the carpet. For these reasons it will be found that in conventional practice, a carpet is usually quite loose around the base of the door frame and casing because the carpet layer intentionally fails to tauten the carpet as much as is desirable, being aware that the ability to anchor the carpets marginal edges in areas of relatively small continuous irregularities is so drastically limited.

My present invention admirably overcomes all of these adverse conditions by providing a method and means for adequately securing the marginal edges of a carpet at areas of relatively small contiguous marginal irregularities.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a method for preparing a floor area to recive carpet floor covering which comprises forming a one-piece base member to mate with at least some of the relatively small contiguous marginal irregularities defining a floor. Another object lies in the provision of said one-piece base 3,564,642 Patented Feb. 23, 1971 ice of suflicient size to admit of nailing without splitting and to present sufiicient carpet securing projections to adequately permit proper tensioning of a carpet secured there- (0.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a carpet anchor having a rigid one-piece base pro vided with rug securing projections which base is preshaped to mate with small contiguous plan irregularities of the marginal edges of a floor to be carpeted.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and meaningful during the course of the following specification when considered in association with the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of the invention is graphically illustrated. It it to be understood, however, that the drawings are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It should also be understood that various changes in construction may be resorted to in the course of manufacture without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention, which is to be understood only in accordance with the appended claims. Furthermore, it should be understood that while the invention is described in one particular area of utility, namely, a doorway, it is not my intention to so limit the applicability of the invention, but I desire to reserve to myself the claimed invention for every use of which it is now known to be or subsequently discovered to be susceptible.

FIG. 1 -is an isometric view of a door frame showing the doorstop and one casing which define relatively small contiguous marginal irregularities at their junctures with a floor and showing the carpet anchor constituting the subject matter of this invention nailed relative thereto; and

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one form of carpet anchor having its sections sawn or otherwise separated to admit of application to a wall of greater thickness.

Having reference now more particularly to the draw ings, the numeral 10 identifies a door frame member to which is secured a doorstop 12. substantially intermediate its width and at right angles thereto having a pair of casings in face to face engagement with the wall, one of which casings is shown at 14. A mop board, or other wall base member 16 is also shown.

The junctures of the elements 10-16 with the floor (not shown) defines the relatively small marginal plan irregularties defining the floor area at which the carpet (not shown) requires fastening. My improved carpet anchor is indicated in its entirety by the numeral 20 and consists of a pair of spaced parallel wall arms 22-22 and a threshold arm 24 which is disposed at right angles to and interconnects the wall arms 22 thus defining a rigid U-shape base member 26 which may be made from any suitable material having sufficient physical strength, arrangements and dimensions to enclose the said casings '14, door frame 10 and doorstop 12 as shown. The base member 26 is provided with a plurality of fixed rugsecuring projections which extend from the top face 30 of the base member 26 and have their axes, when viewed in plan as seen in FIG. 2, projecting perpendicularly to an imaginary longitudinal median line of their respective arm and inwardly toward the straight edge of the inside angle.

Obviously, if the anchor 20 were shaped to fit an inside corner, the projections would be reversed to project perpendicularly to the related angles of the outside corner shape.

Thus at all times the projections are disposed at an upward incline and in a direction adapted to secure the corresponding edge portions of a floor covering carpet and opposed to the direction of carpet tension at the area of fastening.

The threshold arm 24 is relieved at 18 to accommodate the irregularity defined by the doorstop 12. It will be noted that the edges are shaped to mate with the several irregularities defined by junctures of the vertical members 10-16 with the floor. For example: if the irregularity is arcuate, the plan shape of the base 26 will be arcuate to substantially mate therewith.

The line indicated by numeral 32 is a visual indication where the threshold arm 24 of the carpet anchor 20 may be severed by means of a saw, shear, or otherwise, to admit of increasing the spacing between the wall arms 2222 to accommodate a wall opening where the casings 14 are spaced a greater distance apart than that for which the base is specifically designed. Yet it will be seen that each half section of the anchor 20 is still provided With sufficient area to receive at least three nails 34 by means of which the half sections may be secured to the floor.

It is therefore obvious, from the foregoing, that I have provided an effective method and means for adequately securing the marginal edge portions of a floor covering carpet where the contiguous marginal plan irregularities are too small to adequately secure a carpet.

Having thus described by invention, I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States the following:

1. A carpet anchor, comprising:

a rigid one-piece base having an irregular plan shape for mating with small contiguous plan irregularities at the juncture of substantially vertical members and a fioor to be carpeted;

said rigid base having a wall arm and a threshold arm disposed at an inside right angle to each other to mate with a substantially square outside corner;

the axes of said projections in plan being perpendicular to the longitudinal median of their respective arm and inwardly toward said inside angle.

2. The invention according to claim 1 and further characterized by:

a second wall arm spaced from and parallel to said first-named wall arm and having said projections. 3. The invention according to claim 2 and further characterized by: i

said threshold arm being shaped to fit about a vertical doorstop. 4. The invention according to claim 2 and further 15 characterized by:

said base being shaped to mate with plan irregularities with which it is adapted to fit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,211,574 8/1940 McNicholas 16-6 398,492 2/1889 Caldwell 16-6 665,855 1/1901 Warner 16-16 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 52273 

